Thread: Series Vs 110/Defender

Originally Posted by wagoo

I'm only 5'9'' and still would like more legroom..Have thought about reshaping the footwells and pushing the pedal assemblies further forward.I moved the complete firewall forward 5'' on my old 6x6 with 36'' tyres, so there is room for deeper footwells.
Bill.

I have enough room for the belly but not for my toes (size 13 Blundstones).
your idea sound good Bill .
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Longer doors should make an extra cab conversion relatively straight forward, because the cabin rear panels wouldn't require extending.Just the roof lid, floor panels and transmission hump.
Bill.

Bill, not sure if you were commenting to me or the concept of an extra cab in general......Im not looking at doing an extra cab, but a custom hard top. Think full length. So from a glance it would look like a 110/109 hard top. But the rear overhang would be less, the doors longer, the roof custom (think angled folds rather than curves) and aluminium flares/arches.

My starting point would be the rear tub. Im thinking that if I cut the rear and re cap it, mabye have to do the same with the front end and sit it in postion so the doors would be say 5-8 inches longer. Either use a stock seat base or custom build some. Use the defender windscreen. To my way of thinking the doors would be the hardest part.....maybe farm them out

Doors would be a real PITA
If using a 2door wagon as a start what about removing ac ( roof or behind seat)
Remove bulkhead from behind seat
Move seat box rearwards
Shorten steering shaft and cowling
Extending doors scares me like spray painting a car
Noooooooooooo
Dc

Originally Posted by uninformed

Bill, not sure if you were commenting to me or the concept of an extra cab in general......Im not looking at doing an extra cab, but a custom hard top. Think full length. So from a glance it would look like a 110/109 hard top. But the rear overhang would be less, the doors longer, the roof custom (think angled folds rather than curves) and aluminium flares/arches.

My starting point would be the rear tub. Im thinking that if I cut the rear and re cap it, mabye have to do the same with the front end and sit it in postion so the doors would be say 5-8 inches longer. Either use a stock seat base or custom build some. Use the defender windscreen. To my way of thinking the doors would be the hardest part.....maybe farm them out

Yes Serg, I did misunderstand your original post.
Lengthening the doors, unless you went to Series type sliding glass is fairly intricate. Frigging around with the front end of the tub gets messy.Admittedly I'm rough and ready but I'd move the tub back the 5-8 inches, cut off the overhang, then shorten the roof lid and sides.The larger wheel openings shouldn't look too bad, but I'd avoid ally flairs.Too easily damaged.Those plastic mudguards on semi trailers and prime movers are available in a smaller size I believe. The full size version are about $80. Cut the inner and outer 1/3rd off and you have 2 flairs.To panel beat the desired shape in the side panels for Defender flairs I used to drill 6 evenly spaced 1/4'' holes through 2 straight lengths of 1''x 1/2'' flat steel bar, bolt them and tack weld them together in several spots, and then bend them to the desired shape of the wheel opening in my hydraulic press. I modified 6 x 4'' G clamps by welding a 1'' length of 1/4'' steel rod to both the jaw and screw and then cutting the rod in half.The panel to be modified was cut to shape leaving an extra inch margin for the flange, then clamped between the 2 steel formers.The pegs on the G clamps located in the bolt holes to align the formers together. after a bit of practice on scrap bits of ally I was able to beat the edges over on around 10 series front guards and 5 rear tubs without tearing any.
The flange on a constant curve for a half circle mudguard would be easier to form IMO.
Bill.

Thanks guys. The problem with moving the seat back and not lengthening the door is the width of LR's. At the moment driving is most comfortable with the window down and arm resting outside of it.....body sweat/fat does wonders for the paint! Yes you can move the seats in but thats not ideal for my way of thinking.

I have seen scratch built LR type doors that are much longer, wind up windows and removable door tops.

As for the aluminium flares, Bill the ones I would be building would not be curved. They would be flat across the top and angle down on the sides. The profile is made from angle with a folded section creating the external shape. These are extremely strong. I have witnessed said vehicle brush a tree along the gaurd to only have it move the body on the springs. Over 30 years of hard bush and offroad abuse and the body work is still straight for the most part. The flares have to be wider than stock to allow for a wider track. IMO good strong flares will strengthen the body panels to some extent. Yes if enough force is applied it will make damage somewhere, but by that stage the stock panels and flares would be copping a hiding.

Dave/modman, I think the bulkhead behind the seat is structural is it not? If that the case I think moving the tub rear wards the easiest way....

Dave/modman, I think the bulkhead behind the seat is structural is it not? If that the case I think moving the tub rear wards the easiest way....

Yup, it's structural, holding up the roof, door strikers, seatbelts in some cases, and of course the seatbase and therefore the seats. It's got a few folds and reinforcement bits and lots of spotwelds in true Landy style so I wouldn't want to muck around with it.

How would you go making the distance up by making false door pillars? the doors could remain standard then.
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